Proper Doll
by MusicOfMadness
Summary: She supposed that things didn't surprise her anymore. She has lived for quite a while, after all. Though, she never expected to be able to see ghosts in this life. Her life was just beginning and she could already tell that this life is anything but normal. Reincarnated!Masako/Oc!Masako
1. Playing Dress Up

"Happy Birthday, Masa-chan!" I blankly stared out at the gaggle of adults as they chorused together, expecting me to blow out the candles. I didn't fail them as I took several breaths in the attempt to put the tiny flame out, making the adults cheer as the few children silently sat while looking at them, unsure of what to do until cake was sat in front of them.

"Here you go, Masako-chan." I blankly thanked the random adult as colorful cake was plated and put in front of me. "I can't believe how grown up you are. You're getting prettier and prettier each day." I flashed the adult an empty smile as I wished to be alone, feeling annoyed and relieved as I watched the woman walk away to the group of adults, but not before pinching my cheeks.

I ignored the other children as my eyes wandered and my hand put bits of cake into my mouth in manageable sizes, eating in a way most would consider mature and elegant for a child. My eyes landed on the sparkly candle in the shape of a four, smudges of oily frosting still clinging to it as I eyed the remnants of it in distaste. Frosting has never been something I really liked and knowing that some people ate it by itself made me cringe in disgust. I vaguely recalled someone, maybe it was a cousin, in my past life throwing a hissy fit when I vindictively threw out the frosting on my plate; I don't remember why I was so irritated to take it out upon them, but I think it was during my past life's birthday.

'What life is this? The fifth? Sixth?' My fork swirled the frosting on my plate, watching as it turned different shades before settling into a light grey color. Lovely. 'No, it's the fifth. There was June, Yun Soo, Akhil, Niccoli, and now Masako Hara. Or Hara Masako, seeing as the Japanese say their last name first.' Come to think of it, I was pleasantly surprised when I turned out to be a girl in this life, seeing as I've been a boy for the past three. I even remembered the fact that I had past lives at an earlier age, unlike my third life when I didn't remember until I was thirteen.

"Masako. Masako, hey! Do you want to play a game with us?" My grey eyes drifted towards the rather pudgy child's face, silently accepting before trailing after her. I would like to say that these childish games were beneath me, seeing as I've played similar games in every life, but it seems that my maturity diminishes when I'm in my child stage of being reborn. Granted, I still have more than most, but that doesn't mean it's quite up to what I would like it to be. And so, I let my childish mind play along with the other children until my mother called me over to open presents.

"Open Momma's present first, Masako." My tiny fingers gripped the garishly wrapped present when she nudged it into my arms, tearing it open with a satisfying rip while my mother frowned in disapproval. I ignored the expression, not bothered by how I wasn't being as careful about how I acted as usual.

During my earlier years as Masako, it became quite apparent to me that this woman was one that took great pride in me. She constantly boasted about my looks or the fact the fact that I am more intelligent than my peers, or the fact that I was mature for my age as well. She seemed to glow when her friends complimented me, and I took no mind to it as I let her parade me around the room in a kimono that was a size too big for me at this age.

"It's such a nice color on you." I watched the black haired woman nod to herself as she patted my back and inspected the baby pink fabric. And then she went back to her friends to converse some more as I cradled a doll that looked strikingly like me. A gift that my father had given me in advance, seeing as he wouldn't be able to make it to my birthday. It was a black haired doll with bangs and hair cut short, dressed in a kimono with a blank face that stared up at mine. A light flick against it's rosy cheeks told me the porcelain doll was empty inside. I huffed in amusement as I sat down and combed through the silky black locks.

"How fitting."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Okay, so after countless stories piled up in my fanfiction folders on my computer, I decided to upload this one since it's a rather interesting concept in my opinion. I'm most likely going to upload a few chapters after this soon, because this (and they next few) chapters are going to be pretty short. So, feedback would be appreciated.**

**Also, the reason I chose to have Masako as the main character is because she seems to have a really big hate group. Though, I personally think she's a great character because of the amount of development she has in the manga (the anime kind of lacked it). She's really not that bad of a person and I actually like her a more than Mai, but that's just my opinion.**

**P.S.**

**The cover art for this fanfic was made by me. And let me tell ya, it was a pain in the arse to make. Seriously, I spent like ten+ hours on it. If you would like to see more of my artwork (there isn't much to look at), then you can go to my Deviantart link on my profile page.**

**Anyway, top of the morning/nighty night~**


	2. Mother and Daughter

It didn't take long for my mother to enroll me into a kindergarten. She prattled on about forming social bonds and how I should be a good young lady and find some friends. She flashed polite smiles to fellow adults, effectively garnishing their attention as I vaguely caught other mothers whispering towards their significant others as they snuck awed glances towards us.

We must have certainly made quite a spectacle; I have noticed that this life's mother was quite beautiful, appearing to be a model in her early twenties despite being ten years above that. It would only make sense that I was look just as good as I was the spitting image of her with a hint of my father's features here and there. And while I didn't appear to be a model, seeing as I was only four and that I had a niggling feeling that I would grow up to be on the shorter side, I appeared to be more doll-like. I probably would have resembled those Japanese dolls mother was so fond of if I hadn't resisted. At my refusal to cut my hair, my mother allowed me to keep my long mane, only if I made it look presentable and let her put it into elegant twists and knots to form hairdos that I deemed too long and complicated to try myself. Appearance was everything after all, and there was no way Hara Shiori was going to let her daughter walk around looking like a vagabond.

"Now, Masako, be polite and make some friends while you're here. Your father will be picking you up after school, so make sure to find him. And don't go off with strangers!"

"I know that." I calmly stepped away from her, glancing at other kids as they hugged their parents while a select few gripped onto their legs, begging not to be left here.

"Good." She sent me a smile and I knew our business was done as I headed into the classroom, not bothered by the fact that she didn't hug or kiss me like the other parents. I have always acknowledged the fact that Hara Shiori was a more of a formal woman, seeing as she struggled with me through infancy and motherly acts, but flourished when she attended parties and outings.

Hara Masanori was another matter. He preferred to stay out of the limelight, instead taking pleasure in reading books with a cup of coffee or taking walks through the park whether the sun was out or not. I seemed to take more after my father as the life of a social hostess never appealed to me, but that doesn't mean I was bad at it by any means. Shiori made certain of that, though she never really forced Masanori to attend her outing, a small detail that I was jealous of.

No, Masanori was never the type to socialize in big groups. Seeing as he took pleasure in getting to know someone by having intimate conversations that one cannot achieve if they floated around from person to person, like how her mother preferred to handle it. His odd quirk of saying profound phrases tend to make the situation more difficult as well. He was a strangely poetic man whom took joy in the small things in life, unlike Shiori, whom preferred grander things. His silent and calm disposition was comforting to me in comparison to Shiori's strict and business-like personality. My child's intuition made me gravitate more towards the nurturing one of the two, but I did not mind that much.

"Alright, children! I'm Himura Aoi and I'll be your teacher for the year. I hope we can get along!" She flashed the class a bright smile, and so began my agonizing year of kindergarten.


	3. Daddy-kins

"Masako, have you made any friends yet?" I looked up with wide eyes from where I played with my doll father gave me a three years ago. I sat a bit straighter as my doll was forgotten in my lap.

"I guess."

"That was a yes or no question, Masako. Remember what I told you? Don't dally around with answering someone back." I looked down at her curt tone.

"Not really…" I didn't think to elaborate about how I preferred my solitude and books, finding them more stimulating than the bouts of hide-and-seek. I heard her click her tongue in displeasure as she smoothed down her stiff white pants and billowy blouse.

"I should have made you come along and play with the other children. You're as societal as your father." It didn't come to mind that I could have mentioned that I understood what she was saying by reading books that challenged me. It most likely wouldn't have helped my cause in the end, seeing as the woman was rather stubborn when she wanted to be. And do I stayed quiet as she turned to disappear to wherever she usually disappears to.

I have long since given up on trying to keep track of where she goes off to. She usually disappears at the drop of a hat, though my father never seems to be bothered by it. I had subconsciously taken a page out of his book and stopped caring after a while, too. I was never dependent on the woman's presence anyway.

"Time is fleeting, yet it stretches for eternity. How time goes when one Masa has another Masa to call his own." A grin of delight involuntarily formed on my lips as hands picked me up.

"Daddy!" Masahiro's eyes lit up as he calmly smiled at me, picking up my doll when I made gestures for him to pick it up for me.

"Ah, you haven't called me that in a long time." He wistfully said as he sat on a chair and rocked back and forth. I rested my head on the nook of his shoulder as he did so.

"Mother told me I should be more polite." It didn't bother me when he didn't say anything.

It was silent for a bit as we stared out of the bay windows that overlooked the garden we had.

"It's going to rain." He absentmindedly noted as I flicked at the ring strung around his on a chain.

"Dad, what is this?" He looked down at me in curiosity before he saw my pointed stare at the ring.

"Ah, well…" I looked up in curiosity as he seemed to lean away for a bit. "I guess you could say it's a gift from granddad and Takeshi's dad. You remember Takeshi, don't you?" I thought for a bit before I shook my head. After meeting so many of my mother's acquaintances, I stopped trying to keep track of who was who. "He was the one who you played chicken with at the pool."

"I remember him." I only met the man once, but he was alright in my book when he put me on his shoulder and let me battle another pair of men whom was in the same position as us. It was extremely satisfying when we managed to push the man off of the other and make them disappear underwater for a second. He then proceeded to parade me around the pool water as the other men jokingly challenged us again. Mother was truly appalled by my behavior, but grinned and bared it as she didn't want to make a scene. "Will we see him again?"

"We'll see. I'm sure he'll visit soon. You can't get rid of a mouse easily once it found a place it calls home." I didn't question him as the thoughts of the ring disappeared from my thoughts. "Now why don't you go change into something comfortable. I'm about to go on a walk."

"Okay." I wriggled off of his lap, trying to not disrupt my kimono as much as possible, before I raced off to wear the tee shirt and athletic shorts that my dad convinced my mother to let me keep when she tried to replace my whole closet with kimonos and dresses. I didn't even question my dad's odd time to take a walk as he waited for me at our house's front door, opening it and swinging an umbrella open once he saw me. I swiftly followed his movements and opened up my clear umbrella above me, enjoying the sound of rain hitting the plastic and seeing the droplets run down it. I spun the umbrella, making the droplets fly and getting some on my dad's pant leg. He didn't make any noise of complaint as I ran ahead, already knowing what path we were taking. Meanwhile, my kimono and doll was left haphazardly forgotten on the floor of my room as the grey sky dimly lit the room.


	4. Fly on the Wall

Music softly entered my ears through the ear buds as my eyes wandered over to where my dad was talking about something with Takeshi, Jin, and Hiroto. I have ignored them mostly in favor of my tea and thoughts. It didn't take long for me to notice the serious mood that emanated from the group; my normally calm dad had a hard look to his eyes as he shook his head at what Hiroto said.

"But Boss!" I blinked as it registered to me that he may have said that fairly loudly since I had my music on and the fact that I was seated well away from them. Hiroto seemed to realize his mistake as he glanced toward me, making me look away as Jin sent him a reprimanding glare.

I silently turned the volume all the way down on my mp3 player, listening in on the conversation as best as I could despite knowing how rude it was.

"We really need you to come back, Boss."

"I'm not the boss. I never was, Hiroto."

"He's right, though, Masahiro." Takeshi winced at Jin's matter of fact tone. "It's not looking good right now." I stared blankly at my lap, trying to make sense of their conversation.

"Masako." I looked up to find my dad staring at me. I obediently stood and went over to him, paying the other men no mind. "Masako, can you go to your room for a little bit?" Something in his eyes told me I didn't have a choice and that fact alone made me obey. So, I nodded silently before I bowed to the three men as I took my leave, planning to stand by the stairs to listen in on them only for me discard that plan once I was aware of my father's eyes watching me, clearly watching to see if I did leave. And so I went to my room, clicking the door shut to let him know that I was in my room and have given him the privacy he wished for.

I was not very happy with the fact that my father sent me to my room, it almost seemed like he didn't trust me. I never lied to him or did anything for him to mistrust me, so what was the problem? My thoughts disappeared as I caught a glance of someone out of the corner of my eye, but they vanished the moment I looked. I knew it wasn't mother, she was out on a errand today, convinced that she needed to throw a feast for father's friends even though she has tried many times before only for them to leave right before she gets back.

The fact that I've been seeing things hasn't really bothered me. I hadn't really mentioned it to others, seeing as no one really seemed to notice the things I see. I sometimes hear and feel things, too. Sometimes I feel like something was there in certain places, yet I can't see them. It honestly should have unnerved me, but it never occurred to me that it should.

"I was going to tell you, but I guess I won't now." I murmured spitefully, feeling satisfied at my petty vengeance for the lack of trust my father showed me.

"Masako!" I heard my mother's voice call up to me along with the groans of the men downstairs. It seems that mother finally caught them in time to make them spend dinner with us. A vindictive smile made its way to my lips, feeling happy with the fact that they were punished too.

'Serves them right.'

* * *

It was the beginning of second grade when she met her. Well, not really met her, per say. She had the same class with her, but that didn't stop Masako from disliking Taniyama Mai. The two girls have never spoken a word to each other, but Masako took an instant disliking to her once she noticed how exuberant and excitable the girl was. She also tended to act out of line when she feels strongly about something, which was appalling to Masako given the amount of years she was taught to be polite and calm even when someone upsets her. But this Taniyama girl seemed to not hold back and let all her feelings out, letting everyone know what she thought.

It made the brunette popular with some kids and instantly made enemies with others, but that Taniyama was as elegant as a deaf bat trying to use echo location. Masako was willing to give her a chance at one point in time, but she immediately decided against it when she noticed the girl didn't take her studies seriously. And that was definitely something she could not forgive. Grades were a very important thing to Masako. It was the thing that let her know that her mother was proud of her when she gets a good grade and gets a smile from the normally indifferent woman. Sometimes she would even get a pat on the head, something that seemed almost motherly given the fact that her mother was never a fan of physical contact except when it came to her father, but even then she refuses to display affection and touch her father in public settings. She recalled her mother saying something akin to it making others uncomfortable and that it was rude.

So, Masako took everything she could get to get the woman to look at her. She never really cared about the woman that much, but she always felt a hidden desire to make her proud of her, to love her like all the other mothers do with their children. And so, Masako couldn't forgive that Taniyama girl for slacking off. Not to mention the fact that in one life she was extremely poor and couldn't afford education, realizing later how important going to school was once she was faced with trying to pay for a sick sibling medication on a next to nothing salary. So, that was another strike against the girl when Masako thought about the amount of money Taniyama's parents put into her education. Honestly, the black haired girl could feel spike of spite in the pit of her stomach as she glared at the girl across the room, turning her nose up when the brown haired girl looked her way.

And while she felt chagrin towards the girl because of her attitude, she seemed to catch herself looking her way every so often. And for that, she hated her even more.

~~~Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~~~

"Did you have a good day, Masako?" Her mother stared at the street in front of them as she drove her rather pricey car even though the school was only a few minutes away from their house.

"Yes, mother." She stared at the scenery that passed by their car. "The classes are boring, though. Studies are too easy and it's frustrating to see that other people don't get it."

"Maybe we should have you skip a grade." Her mother contemplated the idea. "You have always been a step above the other kids." She would have felt pleased with the off handed compliment, but the satisfactory never came. Silence overcame the pair before the smaller female spoke up.

"There's this one girl in my class…" She paused. "I don't like her. She's loud, she jumps to conclusion, and she doesn't take her studies seriously."

"It's best you stay away from people like that. They only bring trouble for others." Masako was unsure of what to think about her mother's narrowed eyes, but she paid it no mind as she replied.

"Yes, mother."

* * *

As much as Hara Masako tried, she just couldn't seem to get away from Taniyama Mai. Everywhere she went, Mai just shows up out of nowhere. Their classrooms weren't even in the same hallway in their third year of elementary school, but that doesn't stop the brown haired girl from reminding Masako of her existence. The doll-like girl can deal with the petty girls who seem to have it out for her and boys who teased her about her habit of reading instead of playing during recess (though those situations tend to end quickly with a few snide remarks and a glance that told them they were nothing to her, she wasn't about to let people walk over her, after all), but she couldn't deal with being put in the same group as Mai when it was time for all of the third year classrooms to get together to do some activities together in order to promote togetherness or whatever drivel the teachers tend to preach.

She had given Mai the cold shoulder during most of the group activities, opting to talk to her as little as she could get away with. They were working on a history activity together when it finally happened.

"This is answer, right?" Mai pointed towards a multiple choice answer. Masako had to hold back a haughty glance towards the girl as she kept her face neutral.

"No, the answer is 'B'. You would know that if you paid attention to the lesson."

"I do pay attention!"

"Obviously not if you cannot answer correctly." Masako lifted a sleeve to her mouth, covering up the satisfied smirk that came about when she noticed that she riled the girl up.

"Why are you so stuck up?! You don't have to be so mean about it!" The black haired girl closed her eyes in an almost serene way.

"I do not tolerate ignorance. I was not being stuck up either. I was simply correcting your mistake and pointing out the obvious." The other two children in the group looked between both of the girls, looking lost on what to do. Masako felt a sly satisfaction, and a bit of disappointment, when Mai didn't catch the thinly veiled insult to her intelligence.

"You're just stupid! This is why no one likes you!" Masako knew it was wrong to feel such enjoyment out of tormenting the girl, considering the fact that she was much older than her if she combined all her lives together, but she just chalked up the sadistic streak to being that it was either her new body's personality or because she was still a child. She knew how cruel children could be, after all.

"That was not a very well thought out insult, considering the fact that you were the one who didn't know the correct answer. And I don't think you represent everyone, it can hardly be called factual by saying everyone doesn't like me."

Masako guessed that Mai was frustrated with her mature way of speech and her slightly advanced vocabulary as she soon found Mai trying to pull at her hair. Masako's reflexes kicked in and she backed away in time from her to only grab the front of sleeve of her shirt, grabbing Mai's wrists in the process in order to keep her away from her carefully done hair. Mai's yelling must have attracted the attention of a teacher as the other girl instantly let go when the female teacher called their names.

They were both pulled to the side, a faint sense of humiliation settled in Masako as she was aware of the kids that stared at them. She felt a wave of relief when the teacher decided to pull both of them into the hallway instead of just in the corner of the room.

"Mai-chan, why were you trying to pull Masako's hair?" Masako glanced at the other girl and noted at she looked cowed.

"She was being mean." The young girl grumbled, scuffing her indoor slippers against the floor. She decided to speak up before the teacher could get on her.

"I was simply telling her what the right answer was to the question. I wasn't the one who started to insult her." That little incriminating fact set the teacher back on Mai. Masako felt glad that she picked up on her mother's manipulative way of speech, she liked to call it selective since she didn't want to paint her mother in a bad light, and her father's roundabout way of skirting around certain topics and facts in order to get the desired effect.

"Is this true, Mai-chan?"

"Maybe…" She refused to look up as the teacher sighed in exasperation.

"Mai-chan, you can't go pulling other people's hairs. Even if you are frustrated with them, you have to talk it out with them." Masako almost smirked at Mai's guilty face, but the feeling was gone once the teacher turned to her. "And Masako-chan, try to be a little more nicer."

The lessons her mother taught her over the years kicked in as she bowed politely to her teacher and apologized, happy when the teacher didn't notice that she didn't apologize to Mai. The other girl also apologized, though less formally before having to apologize to Masako by the teacher, which she forgave her just in order to seem like the good child in the situation. The teacher finally allowed them back to their table, where the other two children were awkwardly trying to figure out what to do since they were two members down. They seemed to sense Mai's bad mood as they seemed more quieter than before as the two girls sat down.

The black haired girl didn't care when the brunette scooted her chair away from her, slightly glad that the girl chose to do that instead of try and talk to her. She knew that teacher saw that Mai was at fault, seeing as Mai was physically trying to harm her and that the girl didn't have much of an argument against Masako. She also knew that most teachers and adults liked her, considering the fact that she gave them the utmost respect that she could show them without seeming fake, and took advantage of the fact by laying it one thick with the apology.

She briefly wondered what her mother would have thought about how devious her child was. Her attitude was the product of her mother's strict teachings, after all. Maybe she would have praised her for being so crafty or maybe she would have admonished her for being so manipulative with malicious intent, but she didn't care at that moment as the image of elderly male floated behind the teacher from before before it flickered out of Masako's sight.

As much as Hara Masako tried, she just couldn't seem to get away from Taniyama Mai. Everywhere she went, Mai just shows up out of nowhere. Their classrooms weren't even in the same hallway in their third year of elementary school, but that doesn't stop the brown haired girl from reminding Masako of her existence. The doll-like girl can deal with the petty girls who seem to have it out for her and boys who teased her about her habit of reading instead of playing during recess (though those situations tend to end quickly with a few snide remarks and a glance that told them they were nothing to her, she wasn't about to let people walk over her, after all), but she couldn't deal with being put in the same group as Mai when it was time for all of the third year classrooms to get together to do some activities together in order to promote togetherness or whatever drivel the teachers tend to preach.

She had given Mai the cold shoulder during most of the group activities, opting to talk to her as little as she could get away with. They were working on a history activity together when it finally happened.

"This is answer, right?" Mai pointed towards a multiple choice answer. Masako had to hold back a haughty glance towards the girl as she kept her face neutral.

"No, the answer is 'B'. You would know that if you paid attention to the lesson."

"I do pay attention!"

"Obviously not if you cannot answer correctly." Masako lifted a sleeve to her mouth, covering up the satisfied smirk that came about when she noticed that she riled the girl up.

"Why are you so stuck up?! You don't have to be so mean about it!" The black haired girl closed her eyes in an almost serene way.

"I do not tolerate ignorance. I was not being stuck up either. I was simply correcting your mistake and pointing out the obvious." The other two children in the group looked between both of the girls, looking lost on what to do. Masako felt a sly satisfaction, and a bit of disappointment, when Mai didn't catch the thinly veiled insult to her intelligence.

"You're just stupid! This is why no one likes you!" Masako knew it was wrong to feel such enjoyment out of tormenting the girl, considering the fact that she was much older than her if she combined all her lives together, but she just chalked up the sadistic streak to being that it was either her new body's personality or because she was still a child. She knew how cruel children could be, after all.

"That was not a very well thought out insult, considering the fact that you were the one who didn't know the correct answer. And I don't think you represent everyone, it can hardly be called factual by saying everyone doesn't like me."

Masako guessed that Mai was frustrated with her mature way of speech and her slightly advanced vocabulary as she soon found Mai trying to pull at her hair. Masako's reflexes kicked in and she backed away in time from her to only grab the front of sleeve of her shirt, grabbing Mai's wrists in the process in order to keep her away from her carefully done hair. Mai's yelling must have attracted the attention of a teacher as the other girl instantly let go when the female teacher called their names.

They were both pulled to the side, a faint sense of humiliation settled in Masako as she was aware of the kids that stared at them. She felt a wave of relief when the teacher decided to pull both of them into the hallway instead of just in the corner of the room.

"Mai-chan, why were you trying to pull Masako's hair?" Masako glanced at the other girl and noted at she looked cowed.

"She was being mean." The young girl grumbled, scuffing her indoor slippers against the floor. She decided to speak up before the teacher could get on her.

"I was simply telling her what the right answer was to the question. I wasn't the one who started to insult her." That little incriminating fact set the teacher back on Mai. Masako felt glad that she picked up on her mother's manipulative way of speech, she liked to call it selective since she didn't want to paint her mother in a bad light, and her father's roundabout way of skirting around certain topics and facts in order to get the desired effect.

"Is this true, Mai-chan?"

"Maybe…" She refused to look up as the teacher sighed in exasperation.

"Mai-chan, you can't go pulling other people's hairs. Even if you are frustrated with them, you have to talk it out with them." Masako almost smirked at Mai's guilty face, but the feeling was gone once the teacher turned to her. "And Masako-chan, try to be a little more nicer."

The lessons her mother taught her over the years kicked in as she bowed politely to her teacher and apologized, happy when the teacher didn't notice that she didn't apologize to Mai. The other girl also apologized, though less formally before having to apologize to Masako by the teacher, which she forgave her just in order to seem like the good child in the situation. The teacher finally allowed them back to their table, where the other two children were awkwardly trying to figure out what to do since they were two members down. They seemed to sense Mai's bad mood as they seemed more quieter than before as the two girls sat down.

The black haired girl didn't care when the brunette scooted her chair away from her, slightly glad that the girl chose to do that instead of try and talk to her. She knew that teacher saw that Mai was at fault, seeing as Mai was physically trying to harm her and that the girl didn't have much of an argument against Masako. She also knew that most teachers and adults liked her, considering the fact that she gave them the utmost respect that she could show them without seeming fake, and took advantage of the fact by laying it one thick with the apology.

She briefly wondered what her mother would have thought about how devious her child was. Her attitude was the product of her mother's strict teachings, after all. Maybe she would have praised her for being so crafty or maybe she would have admonished her for being so manipulative with malicious intent, but she didn't care at that moment as the image of elderly male floated behind the teacher from before before it flickered out of Masako's sight.

As much as Hara Masako tried, she just couldn't seem to get away from Taniyama Mai. Everywhere she went, Mai just shows up out of nowhere. Their classrooms weren't even in the same hallway in their third year of elementary school, but that doesn't stop the brown haired girl from reminding Masako of her existence. The doll-like girl can deal with the petty girls who seem to have it out for her and boys who teased her about her habit of reading instead of playing during recess (though those situations tend to end quickly with a few snide remarks and a glance that told them they were nothing to her, she wasn't about to let people walk over her, after all), but she couldn't deal with being put in the same group as Mai when it was time for all of the third year classrooms to get together to do some activities together in order to promote togetherness or whatever drivel the teachers tend to preach.

She had given Mai the cold shoulder during most of the group activities, opting to talk to her as little as she could get away with. They were working on a history activity together when it finally happened.

"This is answer, right?" Mai pointed towards a multiple choice answer. Masako had to hold back a haughty glance towards the girl as she kept her face neutral.

"No, the answer is 'B'. You would know that if you paid attention to the lesson."

"I do pay attention!"

"Obviously not if you cannot answer correctly." Masako lifted a sleeve to her mouth, covering up the satisfied smirk that came about when she noticed that she riled the girl up.

"Why are you so stuck up?! You don't have to be so mean about it!" The black haired girl closed her eyes in an almost serene way.

"I do not tolerate ignorance. I was not being stuck up either. I was simply correcting your mistake and pointing out the obvious." The other two children in the group looked between both of the girls, looking lost on what to do. Masako felt a sly satisfaction, and a bit of disappointment, when Mai didn't catch the thinly veiled insult to her intelligence.

"You're just stupid! This is why no one likes you!" Masako knew it was wrong to feel such enjoyment out of tormenting the girl, considering the fact that she was much older than her if she combined all her lives together, but she just chalked up the sadistic streak to being that it was either her new body's personality or because she was still a child. She knew how cruel children could be, after all.

"That was not a very well thought out insult, considering the fact that you were the one who didn't know the correct answer. And I don't think you represent everyone, it can hardly be called factual by saying everyone doesn't like me."

Masako guessed that Mai was frustrated with her mature way of speech and her slightly advanced vocabulary as she soon found Mai trying to pull at her hair. Masako's reflexes kicked in and she backed away in time from her to only grab the front of sleeve of her shirt, grabbing Mai's wrists in the process in order to keep her away from her carefully done hair. Mai's yelling must have attracted the attention of a teacher as the other girl instantly let go when the female teacher called their names.

They were both pulled to the side, a faint sense of humiliation settled in Masako as she was aware of the kids that stared at them. She felt a wave of relief when the teacher decided to pull both of them into the hallway instead of just in the corner of the room.

"Mai-chan, why were you trying to pull Masako's hair?" Masako glanced at the other girl and noted at she looked cowed.

"She was being mean." The young girl grumbled, scuffing her indoor slippers against the floor. She decided to speak up before the teacher could get on her.

"I was simply telling her what the right answer was to the question. I wasn't the one who started to insult her." That little incriminating fact set the teacher back on Mai. Masako felt glad that she picked up on her mother's manipulative way of speech, she liked to call it selective since she didn't want to paint her mother in a bad light, and her father's roundabout way of skirting around certain topics and facts in order to get the desired effect.

"Is this true, Mai-chan?"

"Maybe…" She refused to look up as the teacher sighed in exasperation.

"Mai-chan, you can't go pulling other people's hairs. Even if you are frustrated with them, you have to talk it out with them." Masako almost smirked at Mai's guilty face, but the feeling was gone once the teacher turned to her. "And Masako-chan, try to be a little more nicer."

The lessons her mother taught her over the years kicked in as she bowed politely to her teacher and apologized, happy when the teacher didn't notice that she didn't apologize to Mai. The other girl also apologized, though less formally before having to apologize to Masako by the teacher, which she forgave her just in order to seem like the good child in the situation. The teacher finally allowed them back to their table, where the other two children were awkwardly trying to figure out what to do since they were two members down. They seemed to sense Mai's bad mood as they seemed more quieter than before as the two girls sat down.

The black haired girl didn't care when the brunette scooted her chair away from her, slightly glad that the girl chose to do that instead of try and talk to her. She knew that teacher saw that Mai was at fault, seeing as Mai was physically trying to harm her and that the girl didn't have much of an argument against Masako. She also knew that most teachers and adults liked her, considering the fact that she gave them the utmost respect that she could show them without seeming fake, and took advantage of the fact by laying it one thick with the apology.

She briefly wondered what her mother would have thought about how devious her child was. Her attitude was the product of her mother's strict teachings, after all. Maybe she would have praised her for being so crafty or maybe she would have admonished her for being so manipulative with malicious intent, but she didn't care at that moment as the image of elderly male floated behind the teacher from before before it flickered out of Masako's sight.

~~~Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ~~~

It wasn't the last time she saw the elderly man. He continued to float around the teacher whose name she kept forgetting, sending forlorn glances at her as she obliviously carried on with her activities. Masako took special interest in him, noting vaguely how her sight of the phantom spirits seems to be getting clearer and clearer. It's almost to the point where the spirit looked so clear to her that she could have easily mistaken him for someone alive if it wasn't for his ghostly pallor and the stubborn wisps of mist that seemed to lick off of his image. She could also hear them clear as day and she wouldn't learn until much later how burdensome her new found ability would be on her.

It was on that day, though, that she decided to approach the ghost, not thinking about whether it was good or not. She never knew too much about spiritual or occult things, seeing as one of her past lives basically jumped at the thought of a ghost, but she seemed to have a special interest in it in this life. She would secretly watch television shows about them and read books that have to do with ghosts and supernatural occurrences, making sure to not be caught by her mother as she learned she was a superstitious kind of person and hated it when Masako brought up anything remotely scary. So basically, the only movies that they were allowed to watch in her presence were comedies and romance, seeing as action films were too violent for her and documentaries did not interest her like they did for the other two Haras. In fact, once Masako got the art of walking silently down and scared her mother on a couple occasions when she didn't know she was there, she forced her to wear indoor sandals that gave a dull clunk every time she stepped. Though those were thrown away once it occurred to her how unfashionable they looked.

Anyway, she spoke to the spirit quietly, making sure nobody noticed her as she learned that very few people could see spirits from the tv shows she watched.

"Hello, who are you?" The spirit seemed surprised as he checked around himself before he realized that she indeed was talking to him.

"You can see me?" The man had the exact voice that she imagined him to have, a raspy voice that most old men seem to have. She liked it to be honest, she always had a fondness for old people, seeing as they reminded her of grandparents and the fact that she didn't have many growing up in her past lives.

"Yes. I'm Hara Masako. May I ask why you what happened?"

"Ah, I'm Hodo Nobunaga. I'm not too sure what happened to be honest. My chest was hurting for a while and I thought it would be best if I took a nap, but when I woke up, I was like this." Masako nodded, about to ask if he realized he was dead, but decided that may not be wise.

"Why are you following around that lady?" His eyes seemed to grow remorseful as they became cloudy with memories.

"You see, that's my daughter. We had a fight since then I've been wanting to tell her some things, but I can't." Masako thought for a bit, recalling a segment where they talked about reasons why spirits stay behind and what needed to happen in order for them to pass.

"I could tell her for you." Masako said hesitantly, glancing up at the man as his eyes lit up with hope.

"Would you?" He grinned as she nodded. "Oh, thank you so much, Hara-chan."

"I'll meet you after school so that I can help you tell her what you need to tell her." And with that, Masako hurried off with a quick goodbye when the bell rang signaling that lunch was over.

~~~Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~~~

"Hodo-sensei?" The woman turned around, surprised to find Masako standing beside her.

"Hm? What is it, Masako-chan?" She blinked in confusion. Why would a kid from another classroom come to see her?

"Tell her I miss her." Masako decided to have some tact before she spouted off what the deceased man said.

"Your father passed away. Isn't that right, Hodo-sensei?" Before the teacher could reprimand her on her poor choice of topic, she continued. "I'm able to speak with him. He's been following you around, wanting to tell you some things, but cannot since you can't see or hear him. He said he misses you." And so Masako started to recite what the older Hodo told her. "He's sorry for making you mad; he just wants you to be happy and he wants to make sure that no one is going to ruin that for you. He doesn't want the last thing you remember about him is the fight. And if you really are sure about your choice, then he'll give you his blessings." Hodo-sensei seemed to be shocked about the whole situation before she spluttered a response.

"A-Ah~ Masako-chan, you shouldn't joke about these type of things. It's pretty rude." She knew what the young girl was saying was something that no one could have known about, she never brought her personal life into the work environment. There was no way that she could have known her father didn't approve of her marrying a foreigner.

"He really is here, Hodo-sensei." Masako insisted. "Hodo Nobunaga is here to tell you what he couldn't before."

"This isn't enough! She doesn't believe you!" And that's when Masako's vision faded to black.

"D-Dad?"


End file.
